Chronological order for Ezra/Haggai/Zechariah/Nehemiah

1 Chronological order for Ezra/Haggai/Zechariah/Nehemiah Bible Ref. Date as found in Bible text General info on what happened on this date Date Notes from the Bible Knowledge Commentary Jews return from Babylon to rebuild the Temple and country ezra 1:1 In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia issue of decree to allow the Jews to rebuild the temple Cyrus made the proclamation in his first year ( 538. ). This was the first year of his reign over Babylon , 538BC. but he had been king over other territories for more than 20 years. ezra 3:1 the seventh month came all the people gather in Jerusalem to build the altar. 538BC. ezra 3:6 the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the LORD, though the These were the first sacrifices made there in 50. foundation of the LORD's temple had not yet been laid. 538BC years since 586 when the temple was torn down. ezra 3:8 In the second month of the second year after their arrival the temple is started (foundation) May June 536, exactly 70 years after the first 536BC.

2 Deportation in 605. haggai 1:1 In the second year of King Darius, on the first day of the sixth the word of the LORD comes to haggai (start of his ministry) In Judah's postexilic calendar, adopted from the month Babylonian system of beginning the new year in the 520BC. spring rather than in the fall (cf. Ex. 23:16; 34:22), this date was 1 Elul (August 29), 520 haggai 1:15 the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month in the second year of work on the temple resumes The date when the actual rebuilding was resumed was King Darius 24 Elul (September 21), 520 There had been a 520BC delay of 23 days between the original prophecy (v. 1). and the resumption of the work (v. 15). haggai 2:1 the twenty-first day of the seventh month the LORD's encouragement for the leaders & people of Israel The date of this message was 21 Tishri (October 17), 520 This was nearly a month after the people had 520BC. resumed the rebuilding of the temple (1:15).

3 Zech 1:1 the eighth month of the second year of Darius the word of the LORD comes to zechariah (start of his The specific day of the eighth month (which began ministry) 520BC October 27, 520 ) is not mentioned as it is apparently unimportant. haggai 2:10 the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of The superscription of the third message specifies the Darius date as 24 Kislev (December 18), 520 , and once again the Prophet haggai received the word of the 520BC LORD. During the two months since the second sermon (v. 1, seventh month ; v. 10, ninth month), the Prophet zechariah had begun his ministry (Zech. 1:1). Page 1 of 4. Bible Ref. Date as found in Bible text General info on what happened on this date Date Notes from the Bible Knowledge Commentary haggai 2:20 the twenty-fourth day of the month The final message begins with the mention of the prophet, the date, and the addressee. As in the previous messages, haggai said he was merely the Lord's messenger bringing the word of the LORD.

4 This 520BC message came to haggai on the same day as the third message, that is, 24 Kislev (December 18), 520 This message, however, was addressed only to Zerubbabel governor of Judah. Zech 1:7 the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, the month of zechariah has 8 visions from the LORD The day the visions came was the 24th day of the 11th Shebat, in the second year of Darius (Jewish) month of Darius' second regnal year (February 15, 519 ). Shebat was the Babylonian name of the 11th month, adopted by the Jews after the Exile. This date was five months after the building of the temple was resumed (Hag. 1:14 15; 2:15), three months after 519BC. zechariah 's first prophecy (Zech. 1:1), and two months after haggai 's last prophecy (Hag. 2:20 a prophecy regarding the destruction of world powers before the millennial rule of the Messiah; cf. Hag. 2:21 23). Zech 7:1 In the fourth year of King Darius the fourth day of the ninth Nearly two years after the night visions (December 7, month, the month of Kislev 518 ; cf.)

5 V. 1 with 1:7) and about halfway through 518BC. the period of temple rebuilding (520 516) zechariah gave four messages. ezra 6:15 the third day of the month Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of The temple was completed The temple was completed in Adar (February March). King Darius of 515 21 years after the work started in 536, and 4. 515BC 1/2 years after haggai began his prophesying. This was 70 1/2 years after the temple had been destroyed on August 12,586. ezra 6:19 the fourteenth day of the first month the exiles celebrated the Passover On the 14th day of the first month (April 515 ) the Passover was celebrated. The temple had been completed in the 12th month (Adar; v. 15) and fittingly, in the very next month, the Passover was 515BC reinaugurated. This was the first time in 70 years that the people partook of this feast which commemorated their forefathers' release from Egyptian bondage (cf. Ex. 12:1 14; Lev. 23:5).

6 Page 2 of 4. Bible Ref. Date as found in Bible text General info on what happened on this date Date Notes from the Bible Knowledge Commentary ezra 's trip from Babylon to Jerusalem (first time that he comes to Jerusalem). ezra 7:8 in the fifth month of the seventh year of the king (during the ezra arrived in Jerusalem He had begun his journey from After these things points to a gap of 57 years since the reign of Artaxerxes) Babylon events at the end of chapter 6. The temple was completed in 515 in the reign of Darius I. After Darius' death in 486 his son Xerxes ruled for 20 years (485 465). Since Xerxes was the Ahasuerus mentioned in the book of Esther, the events of that book occurred between ezra 6 and 7. Then Xerxes' son Artaxerxes ruled from 464 to 424. From 515 to 458 (Artaxerxes'. seventh year; 7:7) was 57 years. 458BC. Not much is said here about the trip from Babylon to Jerusalem or the preparations for it. These few verses are a summary of the journey that is detailed in the rest of chapter 7 and in chapter 8.

7 Returning with ezra were groups of people corresponding to the groups in Zerubbabel's return (chap. 2). The trip back to the land took exactly four months, from the first to the fifth months, from Nisan 1 (March April) to Ab 1. (July August). ezra 10:9 Within the three days on the twentieth day of the ninth you have married foreign women On the appointed day (three days after the month proclamation, in November December 457) as the people were gathering, a rainstorm was in progress. 457BC This was the rainy season (v. 13). However, because of the oath (v. 5) and because of the threat of punishment the meeting went on as scheduled. Page 3 of 4. Bible Ref. Date as found in Bible text General info on what happened on this date Date Notes from the Bible Knowledge Commentary nehemiah comes to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem Neh 1:1 In the month of Kislev in the twentieth year (during the reign of While serving at the Persian winter palace in Susa (cf.))

8 Artaxerxes) Es. 1:2; Dan. 8:1; also see the map The Persian Empire, in the Introduction to ezra ), nehemiah one day received a report from several men who had come from Judah 444BC This report came in the month of Kislev, that is, November December (see the chart Calendar in Israel, near Ex. 12:1) in the 20th year of Artaxerxes the king (cf. Neh. 2:1). Artaxerxes, Persia's sixth king, began reigning in 464 , so this year was 444. Neh 2:1 In the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes Four months went by before nehemiah 's opportunity came from Kislev (1:1, November December) to Nisan (March April). Nisan was still in Artaxerxes' 20th year (cf. 1:1) because the regnal year started in Tishri (September October). Neh 5:14 from the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when I was nehemiah served as Judah's governor for 12 years, appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, until his from Artaxerxes' 20th year (444 ) to his 32nd year thirty-second year twelve years (432 ).

9 Neh 8:2 on the first day of the seventh month ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly Neh 13:6 in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes I had returned to the king ( nehemiah returns to the king as his Artaxerxes is called the king of Babylon because his servant) rule over the Persian Empire included Babylon. nehemiah 's return to Artaxerxes (at either Persepolis, the capital, or Susa) was in 432. Some time later (perhaps two years or more) nehemiah asked to return 432BC. to Jerusalem. How long he stayed this second time is not stated. Malachi may have ministered about that same time (see the chart Chronology of the Postexilic Period, near ezra 1:1). Page 4 of 4.